This invention relates to the sale of fast food in mobile food service units.
The fast food industry has become an essential part of everyday modern life. Nowadays, many people consume fast food,xe2x80x94such as hamburgers, pizza, sandwiches, hot dogs, gourmet coffee and the like. People buy fast food throughout the day at every possible location, from shopping malls to sports arenas.
The financial success of a particular fast food restaurant or service point greatly depends upon its being in the right location at the right time, i.e. its availability to consumers. Consumers may travel a considerable amount of time to their favorite gourmet restaurant, but tend to choose fast food restaurants for convenience. Consumers also tend to choose a familiar franchise in order to benefit from the advantages provided by the known chains, such as the guarantee of quality, hygiene and taste.
The major fast food chains are located in commercial areas and are usually managed in a uniform fashion, as they are required to operate according to established standards so as to maintain the reputation of the chain""s brand name. The known food chains are usually located in modern/and or renovated buildings and surroundings, which provide all the elementary infrastructures and utilities required for a restaurant. They provide facilities for the efficient storage of foodstuffs and cutlery and utilize sophisticated systems for the operational tasks of cooking, serving food, and receiving payment, and maintain (and in some cases even develop) sophisticated systems to monitor that the aforementioned operational tasks are carried out in accordance with company standards and policies.
Establishing a franchise of a well-established company is very costly, due to the high price of commercial space and expenses incurred for managing and controlling the franchise up to company standards. Furthermore, the franchise is dependent upon other factors, such as timing (i.e., moving in or out of various locations due to variable factors affecting profits such as the increase or decrease of the commercial activity and population of the surrounding neighborhood).
Additional factors that often influence the time-to-market insofar as establishment of a service point of a chain in a given location (and a fortiori a wide circulation of chain service points in selected locations) are the municipal and other bureaucratic proceedings involved e.g., building and safety inspections, local utility hook ups and operational licenses, etc.
Mobile fast food stands have been used for quite some time. A common known one is the typical food stand, say a xe2x80x9chot dog standxe2x80x9d, which is a self-contained unit, as it includes, at best, a refrigerator unit to store the food being sold the same day (hot dogs, rolls and condiments); a hot dog heating/grill element, perhaps a drink unit and some sort of cash register. The operational advantage of this stand is that it is easily moved from place to place, and merely requires a simple local electrical connection.
The disadvantage of the above stand is that it is not adaptable to state-of-the-art technology available in today""s fast food industry. The typical xe2x80x9chot dog standxe2x80x9d is exposed to environmental disruptions such as noise and pollution. Its operation is limited to the relatively small stock it may contain and to the incident condition of its systems. Thus it is quite difficult to maintain high and stable levels of quality control (i.e. hygiene, cooking standards and the like). Moreover, there is no way to centrally control the operation of the stand (or a plurality of stands operating under the brand name of a known food chain) and thus maintain the standards of the food chain.
In recent years, the authorities in many countries have passed legislation in order to broaden the protection of public health by establishing strict regulations concerning many aspects of food services including storage, serving, hygiene requirements and the like (the EU is in the process of establishing a EU food safety policy including the establishment of a EU food Authority, which demonstrates the current trend). Accordingly, the administrative requirements for food service licensing have become more strict, thus greater efforts are needed to uphold this requirement to obtain and maintain the needed licensing.
There is, thus, a need in the art to provide a mobile food service unit typically, although not necessarily, belonging to or franchised by a food chain that can be selectively managed and controlled by a central headquarters. Such a stand or stands have advantages of known mobile food stands, whilst maintaining high operational standards.
The invention provides for a mobile food service unit designed to contain highly sophisticated technological facilities, whose operation is computer controlled. The invention uniquely integrates known technologies and facilities so as to achieve advantages in operating a mobile food service unit per se (i.e. a xe2x80x9csmartxe2x80x9d food service unit), and in managing a fast food chain utilizing the concept of the smart food service unit.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the unit maintains communication with a headquarters that selectively monitors and controls the operational activities of the unit and its staff by utilizing known modern technologies. In another mode of operation, the unit is self-contained and operates autonomously.
Accordingly, the invention provides for a non self-propelled mobile food service unit transportable to a desired location of service, comprising: computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one food preparation unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit;
at least one data communication unit.
The term xe2x80x9cnon self-propelledxe2x80x9d is used to denote a mobile unit that lacks its own motored driving mechanism. Thus, in order to relocate the unit, an external mechanism, such as a boom-truck or a tow platform should be used to transport the unit to the desired location of service.
By one embodiment the invention provides a non self-propelled mobile food service unit transportable to a desired location of service, comprising: computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one food preparation unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit;
at least one data communication unit,
Wherein the food stand has weight and size that facilitate efficient transportation from one place to the other.
The term xe2x80x9cefficient transportxe2x80x9d is used to denote transportation of one or more units through urban and interurban roads, e.g. by a boom-truck or a tow platform, substantially without causing the obstruction of traffic due to speed limits, blocked roads, escorts and the like, in accordance with traffic regulations. Thus, in order to meet the efficient transport stipulations, the food service unit, according to an embodiment of the invention, is limited in size and weight.
As specified, the auxiliary systems are computer controlled, locally, remotely or by some combination thereof through wired and/or wireless communication medium.
The invention further provides a food chain system that includes a plurality of non self-propelled mobile food stands located at geographically dispersed points of service; each food stand being a non self-propelled mobile food service unit transportable to a desired unit of service, and comprising: computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one food preparation unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit;
at least one data communication unit.
The invention further provides a non self-propelled mobile service unit transportable to a desired location of service, comprising: computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one dedicated service unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit;
at least one data communication unit.
The invention further provides service chain system that includes a plurality of non self-propelled mobile service stands located at geographically dispersed units of service; each service stand being a non self-propelled mobile service unit transportable to a desired point of service, and comprising: computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one dedicated service unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit;
at least one data communication unit.
Accordingly, the invention provides for a method for operating a non self-propelled mobile food service unit comprising:
transporting said unit to a desired location of service;
selectively establishing connection between said unit and a remote site; and
upon establishing connection, receiving instructions from the remote site regarding the condition and operation of said unit by using computer controlled means; said means including:
environmental means;
food preparation means;
billing means;
safety and security means.
According to another embodiment, the invention provides a method for operating a food chain system that includes a plurality of non self-propelled mobile food stands; each food stand being a non self-propelled mobile food service unit transportable to a desired point of service, and comprising:
determining the locating of the food stands at geographically dispersed points of service; and
monitoring and controlling the condition and operation of each food stands from a remote headquarters using computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one food preparation unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit; and
at least one data communication unit;
According to yet another embodiment, the invention provides a method for operating a food chain system that includes a plurality of non self-propelled mobile food stands; each food stand being a non self-propelled mobile food service unit transportable to a desired point of service, and comprising:
determining the locating of the food stands at geographically dispersed points of service;
monitoring and controlling the condition and operation of each food stands from a remote headquarters using computer controlled auxiliary systems for providing food service; and
relocating at least one of the food stands in accordance with a instructions from said remote headquarters,
said auxiliary systems including:
at least one environmental unit;
at least one food preparation unit;
at least one billing unit;
at least one safety and security unit; and at least one data communication unit;